50 Ways Universities and Colleges are Partnering for Student Success

This month, we celebrate the 50th anniversary of our partners, Ontario’s colleges, as we work together to strengthen higher education for the benefit our students.

Partnerships between universities and colleges are nothing new. In fact, over the past decade we have increased participation rates and exponentially increased the co-operation between our institutions.

The postsecondary sector understands the world is changing and that students are looking for increasingly flexible options.

With this in mind, university and college partnerships are growing and evolving in order to better meet the needs of our students, better support the learning experience and ensure today’s students have access to an education that will allow them to make vital contributions to our society and our economy.

The Benefits of Working Together

A collaborative working relationship between colleges and universities can have tremendous impact on the individual experiences and outcomes of students. Working together, we can enrich lives and open doors to new opportunities that help young people climb the education ladder toward a meaningful future of their choice.

A few of the benefits include more flexible pathways for students, a greater diversity of joint programs, increased recognition of students’ prior learning, and the reduction of barriers to student mobility.

Not only do collaborative programs and partnerships improve education and learning for all students, they also ensure that no one lacks genuine opportunities to develop the skills and competencies they’ll need to succeed in higher education and the workplace.

Working in partnership with Ontario’s colleges encourages innovation and engages new approaches to teaching, learning and student services that will improve the pool of talented and motivated students with the skills to prosper in tomorrow’s world.

So, in honour of Ontario colleges’ 50th anniversary we’re highlighting 50 examples of how the province’s colleges and universities are working together – research projects, joint academic programs, shared resources and campuses – to ensure graduates are ready to play an impactful role in a diversified economy and a constantly changing labour market.

Click here to view all 50 examples:

These innovative programs and partnerships reflect the commitment of universities and colleges to further enhance the student experience and to help Ontario succeed in the global knowledge economy by addressing the need for advanced skills in all sectors.

More than ever before, our colleges and universities are collaborating to deliver these opportunities, and we will continue to develop our partnerships between individual colleges and universities and jointly work to advance the postsecondary sector in order to respond to the needs of our students, our communities and the province.